Equipment for a 54 gal reef

[kaingers2]

I am setting up a 54 corner reef for a friend and need some ideas and suggestions for equipment. I bought the tank with a 14K 175watt Halide and (2) 39 watt actinic PC's. I plan on adding some LED's in the canopy for night viewing. With that said I plan on keeping fish and corals.

The tank is not drilled and I wanted to hear suggestions on Hang on overflow boxes. I have read that I need to purchase one that has a continuous siphon overflow, but I do not know anything more about brands and styles. Return pump ideas I was thinking a mag 7, but don't know if that would be too extreme for a 54 gal tank?

The skimmer is the other big purchase for the tank. The stand can accomodate a 15 gal sump comfotably which I will install baffle's myself, so the footprint is not an issue. There are 23 inches of clearance, but that would not leave much room to maneuver the skim cup.

In shortL: What overflow box do you suggest? What skimmer will give me the most bang for my buck keeping in mind the clearance under the tank. Which return pump will not overkill my display?

 

[Jeremy B.]

For your overflow box checkout the Eshopps j-tube style overflows. The price on them is excellent, and they have been pretty reliable since they've come out in the last 4-5 years.

As far as the skimmer goes I think that most here will recommend either a Vertex IN-80 / IN-100 or an Octopus Extreme 160 as the most bang for the buck skimmer that you can get. ASM is another option, but definitely not in the league of the Vertex or Extreme in my opinion.

A Mag7 would be fine for that tank. If you are wanting to stay submersible, but want to go with something a little more "higher end" take a look at the Eheim's. The main difference between the two is noise, however the Mag isn't going to be extremely loud.

HTH!